NCAAB

College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 11/5/19

College basketball season is upon us and tips off with a five-game slate tonight.

March Madness is months away, but you can get in all the college hoops hype by playing daily contests at FanDuel today. If you've played NBA DFS before, it's quite simple: pick a total of eight players -- four guards, three forwards and one utility spot you can use for either position. Stay within the $50,000 salary cap and field the team you think will score the most fantasy points.

Where scoring differs from NBA is in the blocks and steals categories, with each worth two FanDuel points apiece rather than the three you get in daily NBA contests.

Now that you're in the know, we can attack today's main slate, which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST and consists of five games.

Which players should you be targeting, and why?

Guards

Cassius Winston, Michigan State ($8,500) - Entering the 2019-2020 season, expectations are at an all-time high for the Michigan State Spartans basketball program. Winston, the point guard, is the team's leader and is widely pegged by the media as a National Player of the Year candidate. The senior filled the stat sheet in the Spartans' lone exhibition game this season. Winston scored 16 points, had nine dimes, grabbed two rebounds, and recorded four steals in only 22 minutes of action. While Albion didn't provide any resistance in the exhibition game, Winston was a fantasy point per minute producer last season and averaged 33.42 FanDuel points per game.

Markell Johnson, North Carolina State ($7,200) - Johnson spurned the NBA Draft in the offseason in order to return for his senior season. The veteran guard provides a solid floor as he topped 25 FanDuel points in six of the North Carolina State Wolfpack's final seven games last season. With last year's leading scorer (Torin Dorn) graduating, Johnson is a good bet to lead the Wolfpack in scoring this season.

Devon Dotson, Kansas ($6,900) - Earning several preseason accolades, Dotson is expected to emerge as the Jayhawks' next great point guard. Despite missing the Kansas Jayhawks' first exhibition game against Fort Hayes State, the budding star is expected to play in tonight's season opener. The sophomore played 25 minutes and scored 12 points, dished out seven assists, grabbed two rebounds, and recorded two steals in the Jayhawks' second exhibition game against Pittsburgh State.

Ochai Ogbaji, Kansas ($6,200) - Like backcourt mate, Devon Dotson, Ogbaji is primed for a breakout season. The sophomore is currently projected to go early in next year's NBA Draft. In nearly 50 minutes of preseason action (two games), Ogbaji scored 40 points, grabbed ten rebounds, dished out seven assists, recorded one block, and amassed three steals (two turnovers). That equates to an average of 34.3 FanDuel points per game. Roster the future pro while he's still cheap.

Jordan Goldwire, Duke ($3,^00) - We have to find value somewhere and Goldwire provides major value at a cheap price tag. Known primarily as a defensive stopper, Goldwire's role should increase this season as he's expected to start for the Duke Blue Devils alongside backcourt mate, Tre Jones. In two exhibition games this season, the savvy guard averaged 6.5 points, two rebounds, five assists, 4.5 steals, and one turnover in 23 minutes of playing time. That equates to an average of 24.4 FanDuel fantasy points which is more than enough to pay off his $3,500 price tag.

Forwards

Udoka Azubuike, Kansas ($7,500) - The seven-footer returns to the Jayhawks' lineup after sustaining a season ending injury early last season. The big man was recently named preseason Big 12 Conference player of the year by the Big 12 coaches. In nine games of action last season, Azubuike averaged 1.2 fantasy points per minute. If he sustains that production, he'll only need to play around 25 minutes to hit value tonight (assuming that 4x salary is considered value, or in this case 30 FanDuel points).

Matthew Hurt, Duke ($6,100) - The five-star recruit is slated to start at small forward in Duke's season opener. Hurt will be counted on offensively as they look to replace 75% of their scoring from a season ago. The former McDonalds' All American scored 36 points, corralled seven rebounds, dished out two assists, blocked one shot, and totaled three steals in the Blue Devils' opening two exhibition games.

Aaron Henry, Michigan State ($5,800) - The freshman played a pivotal role in the Spartans' Final Four run a season ago. In five NCAA tournament games, Henry averaged 21.2 FanDuel fantasy points. Now a sophomore, Henry is expected to emerge as the Spartans' third star alongside teammates, Xavier Tillman and Cassius Winston.

Aamir Simms, Clemson ($5,700) - Simms is the Clemson Tigers' leading returner scorer and rebounder. In Clemson's lone exhibition game, Simms led the team in minutes (25) and shots attempted (12). The lanky forward scored 16 points, recorded 10 rebounds, dished out two assists, and a blocked a shot in that game. He's arguably the most important player on the roster and appears ready to lead the Tigers in his junior season.

Thomas Kithier, Michigan State ($4,200) - This is a purely a price tag play better suited for tournaments. Kithier will likely start opening night for the top-ranked Spartans. Reportedly, the sophomore forward will get the first chance at replacing the graduated Kenny Goins. In the Spartans' lone exhibition game, Kithier scored seven points and grabbed 11 rebounds. If he produces anything close to that, he'll more than pay off his cheap price tag.


Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.